Bowling-pin-setting apparatus.



.No. 858,229. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

J. M. STOKES.

. BOWLING PIN SETTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1907.

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l l I I I W1 YLV/JSSES 1 Wig g i A TTOR/VE Y3 PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

J. M. STOKES.

BOWLING PIN SETTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1907.

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. UNI D STATES PATENT orrrori. JOSEPH M. s'r'oKEs, or OKEENE, OKLAHOMATERRITORY.

' sowLme-pm -ss -rrme APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'J'une 25. 1907.

Application filed February 28,1907; Serial No. 369,777- I I To all whom/it, may cqncern: I Be it known thatI, JosEPHM. S'roKEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Okeene, in the county of Blaine and Territory A ting pins of bowling alleys and the like and .by one or more of the pins can be knocked over in the usual manner after which allof the pins can be returned to their proper positions upon the alley without necessitating the attendance of a ,person within the pit of the alley. for spotting or arranging the pins.

A still-further object is to rovide a gutter attachment whereby the bal s can be directed tothe frontend of the alley after each person has bowled. 7

Another object is to provide means whereby any one of the pins can be set up inde- I pendently of the others should it be so desired.

Another object is to provide means whereby the pin lifting devices are held taut for the greater portion of their lengths butv are maintainednormally slack adjacent the pins so as not to interfere with the overturning of them.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation of the complete apparatus; and Fig. 2 is a section on hne- 9c'x,' Fig. 1.

Referring to thefigures by characters of reference, A is a bowling'alley of the usual construction with the exception that the floor of the pit Bis inclined so as to direct balls toward one of the rear corners ofthe pi tand the rear portion of the alley with the outlet opening 1. The trough 5 is provided with means which will be hereinafter described whereby the rear end portion thereof can be raised a suflicient'distance to direct into the gutter C any balls which may be contained within the trough. The,side" walls 2 of the pit extend to o posite sides of and have oppositely disposed pairs of guide cleats 8 connected at their upper endsby caps 9 which constitute stops. Slidably mounted betweenthe'se guide cleats are the end portions of a cross strip 10 which is secured upon and extends transversely of a setting frame 11 preferably triangular. This frame has openings 12 therein arranged: at the same distances apart and in the same relation to one another as are the bowling ins-when properly set up on the alley. T e openings are of sufficient size to receive the necks of the pins and the lower ends of said Openings are v these pulleys is located directly above each of the openings 12. As there are ten of these openings there are therefore ten pulleys disposed above them and an additional pulley 16 located above the center of the framell Ten other pulleys 17 are disposed in alinement adjacent the rear end of the top 14 and a pulley 18 is suspended from the top adjacent one of the end pulleys 17 while a pulley 19 is sus ended from the top adjacent the other end pulley 17. Across beam 20 is connected to the standards 13 at a point below the top 1 1 and supports a rack 21 having parallel grooves 22 extending from side to side thereof. Preferably four of these grooves are employed.

Supported by the rear portions of the walls 2 is a shelf 23 having a shaft 24 journaled thereabove in standards'25. A gear 26 is secured to one end of this shaft and meshes with a small drive gear 27 secured to a shaft 28 journaled in a standard 29. This shaft has a .crank 30 whereby it-can be readily rorest by gravity upon the rack 21.

tated manually although it is to be understood that if preferred a motor may be utilized for driving the shaft 28.' A drum 31 is loosely mounted on the shaft 24 and is connected by a sleeve 32 with a brake wheel 33. This wheel is surrounded b a band 34 designed to be 0 erated by a ever 35 whereby the drum can e held against rotation when the same is not locked to the shaft 24. An other drum 36 is loosely mounted on the shaft 24 and is provided at one end with a brake wheel 37 surrounded by a band '38 which is connected to an actuating lever 39.

By means of this lever the drum 36 can be.

held against movement when not locked to the shaft 24. A clutch member 40 is keyed or otherwise suitably connected to the shaft 24 between the drum 36 andthe brake wheel 13 and is adapted to be shifted by a lever 41 against either of the brake wheels 33 and 37 so as to look their respective drums to the shaft and cause them to rotate therewith. A

guide plate 42 is suitably supported above and above the rack 21 over the pulleys 17.

These pulleys support the cords abovethe drum 36/ and the end portions of the cords pass downward throu h the openings in guide plate 42 and are fastened to the drum 36. A small weight 48 preferably in the form of a ring is loosely mounted upon each of the cords 47 at a oint between its two pulleys'15 and 17 and these weights normally The grooves 22 are so positioned within the rack that theweights on the cords of the four back pins 44 willrest in the rear groove 22, the weights of the three pins in next to the last row will rest in the next groove, etc. It is thought that this has been clearly indicated in the drawings. A cord 49 is supported by the pulleys 16 and 19 and is fastened at one end to the drum 31 while its other end is connected by a rin 50 to preferably three cords 51 one of whic is fastened to the frame 11 adjacent its front end while the other cords 51 are secured to the end ortions of the cross strip 10. Another cor 52'is supported by the pulley 18 and is fastened at one end to the rear end portion of trough 5, while its other end extends through one of the openings in the guide plate 42 and is fastened to the drum 36.

The normal position of the frame 11 is indicated in Fig. 1 and the same is supported by the cord 49 which is prevented from uneeaeee winding from the drum 31 by the band brake 34. The weights 46 permit sufficient slack in the cords 43.to allow the pins to fall over and roll predetermined distances upon the alley. When it is desired to set up the pins 7 the clutch 40 is drawn into engagement with drum 36 and by rotating the gears27 and 26 the drum will wind the cords 47 and-52 thereon. This will'cause the pins 44 to be thrown upward so that the necks thereof will become 7 seated within the openings 12, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The weights 48 will also be raised as shown by dottedlines in said figure and the cords will therefore be held taut. raise the trough 5 so that any balls therein will be directed into the gutter, C. As soon as the pins have been raised into the frame 11 the rotation of shaft24 is stopped and the two drums 31 and 36 are gradually released 8 so that the weight of the frame 1 1 and of the pins 44 and weights 46 will cause the cords 47 and 49 to gradually unwind from the drums. The frame 11 and the pins will, therefore move downward until the pins rest upon the alley in their proper positions and after the weights 48 and 46 have unwound the cords 47 to their greatest extent the clutch 40 is placed in engagement with the brake wheel of drum31 so as to cause the drum to wind the, 9 cord 49 thereon when shaft 24 is revolved. The frame 11 is thus lifted to the position shown in Fig. 11 where it is held b applying the brake band 34 to wheel 33. T e ins 44,- however, are left standing upon the a ley and 1 the weights 46 maintain the cords in a slack condition close to the pins so that the overtuning of the pins will not be interfered wit If preferred the cord 52 can be made slack so that the trough willnot be raised until immediately prior to the placing of the pin within frame 11. This will give the last balls thrown time to roll into the trough without compelling the operator to delay 1 raising the pins.

Although a solid frame 11 with ten openings has been shown, it is to be understood that the frame can be of any desired construction and any number of openings or ar- 1 rangement thereof can be provided according to the game to be played.

Should it be desired to use only certain of the pins 44 the remaining pinscan be readilyremoved by unfastenin their strings 43 from 1 the hooks 45. Shoul one or more of the. pins fall over after the pins have been set up the same can be readily replaced simply by grasping the string connected to it and raising the pins to the frame 11. The pin can 1 then be gradually lowered until it assumes an upright position. Should, some of the cords 47 be stretched or for any other reason hecome longer than desirable, the weights'48 will take up the slack when the cords are I30 At the same time the cord 52 will 8 the openings,

supporting 4 of a plurality of separate flexible lifting de- I wound on drum 36 so that all the pins will be positively held against the frame 11 during the setting operation.

By providing apparatus such as herein described itbecomes unnecessary for a person to enter the pit B at any time as the pins can all be manipulated by the cords extending from them. The apparatus can be readily. connected to bowling alleys of the ordinary construction. y

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a settin frame having pin receiving openings; of a p urality of separate flexible lifting devices extending through the openings, a pin connected to each of said devices, a drum, means for rotating the drum to simultaneously actuate the lifting devices and center the pins within and means upon said devices for taking up slack during the centering operation.

2. The combination with a setting frame having pin receiving openings; of movably supported lifting devices extending through the openings, a pin at one end .of each of said devices, an actuating device connected to the other end of said lifting devices, a

weight upon each of the lifting devices to hold one end portion thereof normally slack,

welghts loosely mounted on the lifting devices for holding the. remaining portions thereof normally taut, .and a rack normally the loosely mounted weights.

3. The combination with a vertically movable setting frame having pin receiving openings, and means for actuating the frame;

vices extending through the openings, means upon each of said devices for holding one end portion thereof normallyslack, a pin connected to the slack portion of each lifting device, means for actuating the lifting devices to center the pins within the openings, and separate means upon the lifting devices for taking up slack during the centering operation. v

4. The combination with a rotatable element, winding devices mounted thereon, and means for locking said devices to the element; of a setting rame having a plurality of pin receiving openings, a flexible actuating device connected to the frame and one of the winding devices, a plurality of flexible lifting devices secured to the other winding device and supported within the openin s in the setting frame, and a pin connecte to each of the lifting devices.

5. The combination with a settin frame having pin receivin openings; of ap urality of separate flexible ifting devices, a in detachably connected to each of said diavices,

means for simultaneously actuating the lifting devices to direct the pins into the openings and separate means slidablc uponjthe lifting devices for taking up slack therein While directing pins into the openings.

Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my'signature I in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH M. STOKES.

Witnesses LEVI CRAMER, H. A. HASTINGS. 

